


Postcards to Haven: Bioluminescent Bay

by serendipityxxi



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Postcards to Haven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 03:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5568718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipityxxi/pseuds/serendipityxxi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Audrey who’d been lazing near the stern of the rental boat suddenly sat up and crossed to the railing, catching both their attention. “Duke…” </p><p>Duke grinned.  “Audrey?” he asked, letting all the smugness he felt color his tone.</p><p>“Nathan,” she called instead of replying, but Nathan was already on his feet, picking his way over to the railing. They stood elbow to elbow staring out at the wake left by the engine behind them. Duke glanced down and yep, there it was. A trail of brilliant glowing blue marked their passing like the tail of a comet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Postcards to Haven: Bioluminescent Bay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kedreeva](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kedreeva/gifts).



Duke smiled into the darkness that was the ocean at night, nothing but stars above and waves below. He loved feeling humbled by how huge the universe was. How could his problems matter when there was so much out there? The wind on his face was cool and wet bringing with it the scents of salt and Audrey’s shampoo.

“Why are we out here again?” Nathan demanded for the fiftieth time, breaking Duke’s zen bubble.

Duke rolled his eyes. “I told you, I have something to show you.”

“It’s dark.” Nathan pointed out.

“Yes, Nathan,” Duke said overly patient. “Sit down and wait for it,” he instructed. “We’re almost there,” he added.

Nathan made a grumbling noise that Duke completely ignored.

Audrey who’d been lazing near the stern of the rental boat suddenly sat up and crossed to the railing, catching both their attention.

“Duke…”

She turned to look at him, her face a smudge of light against the darkness of the horizon, her hair the brightest thing about her sprayed out in the breeze. He didn’t need to see her expression to know what she’d seen though.

Duke grinned.

“Audrey?” he asked, letting all the smugness he felt color his tone.

“Nathan,” she called instead of replying, but Nathan was already on his feet, picking his way over to the railing. They stood elbow to elbow staring out at the wake behind them. Duke glanced down and yep, there it was. A trail of brilliant glowing blue marked their passing like the tail of a comet.

“What is it?” Audrey asked, voice hushed and awed.

Duke felt his chest puff out, he’d done that, he’d given them this. He slowed the motor so they could hear him and called back “Some people call it burglar-alarm algae.” Nathan snorted at that. Duke chose not to acknowledge that slight to his character. “Remember all that red tide stuff from a few years ago? Well this is a non-toxic version of that algae. When the phytoplankton are disturbed, like by a small fish, it produces a chemical reaction that lights it up and hopefully the bigger fish see the light and come eat the smaller fish before the smaller fish eats the algae. The engine just alarms a lot more plankton.”

Audrey laughed and Nathan chuckled.

Duke cut the motor even further, now they were coming up on the lagoon. Nathan and Audrey craned their necks to see why they were stopping and hurried to the bow of the boat. Duke could see the shore all lit up as the waves crashed and alarmed the tiny plankton. There were a few trails of footprints, visitors to the beach who had disappeared into the night probably at the sound of the engine, their footsteps still glowed blue with their passage.

Duke let the boat coast through the narrow channel and into the lagoon, the Rouge would never have been able to get in this close, she wouldn’t have fit. He dropped anchor and Audrey oohed at the virtual firework of algae that bloomed, even the water that splashed up glowed a bright electric blue. Duke cut the running lights and went to join his people by the bow of the boat. It was even darker without the floodlight and Duke could just make out their silhouettes. Audrey was sitting with her feet dangling over the edge while Nathan stood leaning over the rail. Duke put his hand on the small of Nathan’s back and Nathan leaned into the touch without turning, fascinated by the view. Duke savored the fact that Nathan didn’t need to see him anymore to know he was touching him. That thought was as amazing as the light show out there.

In the silence left in the wake of the engine winding down Duke could hear the soft susurration of the waves on the shore behind them and the wind in the palm trees nearby, their fronds whispering in the night. Audrey and Nathan didn’t break the spell of the night, staring as the lights went dim and then vanished. Duke felt a rush of love for them in the quiet, they understood the value of silence. They could appreciate the small wonders without having to talk them to death.

Duke waited until the last ripple in the lagoon had died away then he grabbed the neckline of his shirt and yanked it over his head, tossed it aside and vaulted over the railing with a shout and a splash that rocked their little rented vessel. When he surfaced Audrey and Nathan were covered in streaks of electric blue. Duke whooped and aimed arcs of water at them. Audrey was on her feet in seconds, pulling off her t shirt as well but Nathan’s hand at her wrist stopped her. He leaned over the side of the boat, holding a hand out for Duke.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” he called.

Duke rolled his eyes though Nathan couldn’t see it. “Yes, Mom, the algae isn’t going to eat us,” he assured Nathan.

That was all Audrey needed. She kicked off her shorts while Nathan was distracted and slipped under the railing rather than leap over it. She entered the water with a whoop and came up shrieking. “Cold! Cold, cold, cold cold!”

She slicked her hair back from her face and it streamed out, electric blue like a mermaid’s, behind her.

What a siren she was, Duke thought as he swam over to wrap his arms around her, sharing his warmth while treading water with his legs. Audrey brought glowing fingers out of the water and showed them to Duke who grinned at her amazement.

Nathan was still hesitating on the boat.

“Come on in Wuornos,” Audrey called, her teeth chattering, “the water’s f-f-fine!”

Nathan’s wry chuckle came to them on the breeze.

It was cold yes but not a freezing cold, the kind of cold that made Duke feel awake, alive. Duke cupped a handful of water and poured it over Audrey’s head, grinning as she spun in his arms to look at him and her face glowed in the streams. Audrey laughed, the sound brighter than the phosphorescence around them and poured water over Duke’s head, tracking the glowing trickles with her eyes. Duke realized he must have glowing hair too and gave it a little shake to make Audrey’s smile widen.

Behind her Nathan slipped into the water with a quiet splash and swam toward them with wide, even strokes. Duke knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. Duke may have been the sailor but Nathan was the swimmer of the pair. He’d always come in first in their swim club races as kids, his long, lean arms pulling him through the water with power and precision. He hadn’t been comfortable in the water when his Trouble was active but now with the Troubles gone he rarely missed a chance to swim and Duke does his best to give him those chances. Duke will never forget those first few Trouble-free days when he and Audrey dripped trails of water along Nathan’s body to make him shiver and squirm in delight at the sensation.

Duke turned Audrey around to watch Nathan swim closer, the dark center of a trail of stars as the algae lit up with his movement. With his hands cupping her shoulders, he could feel the goosebumps, telling him she was still cold. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest, treading water with the other arm. Audrey’s wet hair stuck to the side of his neck, her slick calves sliding along his as they both kicked lazily.

Audrey waited til Nathan was close enough, reached out as if to embrace him and dunked him instead. Nathan came up sputtering his face glowing in the water streaming from his hair. And Audrey laughed swimming away before he could catch her so his first wild spray of water caught Duke full in the face. Duke wasn’t one to take that lying down. He sent a wave of water back and suddenly the entire lagoon lit up as their water fight raged showers and lines, arcs and sparks of brilliant blue.

When they stopped they found Audrey floating serenely on her back a few feet away, a dark form in the middle of a glowing angel as she swished her arms and legs back and forth in the water. Duke laughed at her creativity, leaning back and going to work on his own glow angel.

“It’s like floating in the stars,” Nathan commented from where he was stretched out a few inches away and Duke had to agree. They were pretty far away from big cities, so the light pollution was minimal out here, had to be for the algae to glow this brightly. There were probably three times the number of stars they could see in Haven. From where they floated the universe stretched out above them, vast and uncountable. They trailed their fingers through the water, creating constellations and starbursts, swirling galaxies there and gone at a whim.

Rain chased them out of the water eventually, it’s cold and the drops land with force. They scrambled up the ladder, chilled but buoyant from their evening’s adventure. Nathan stopped Duke with a hand on his wrist before he starts the motor, drawing his attention to the lagoon which is lit up with the rain on the water, each drop setting off a firework of algae in the water. They watch the blue glow bloom and fade and bloom again beneath the scant protection of the canvas cover of the ship.

“Makes me think of glow in the dark bowling,” Nathan said after they'd been silent for a while

Audrey burst into laughter at Duke’s incredulous look.

“What? It’s fun,” Nathan defended though his slow smile tells them that he’s teasing. “They also have glow in the dark mini gol...” Duke can’t let him finish that sentence, he kisses him to shut him up.

When the storm was mostly over Duke sat on the deck and shivered while Audrey dried his hair for him vigorously and leans down to kiss him with lips that still gleamed the faintest blue. “Thank you,” she murmured into their kiss and Duke knows she can feel his answering smile against her mouth.

She went and sat between Nathan’s legs and he wrapped his arms and the towel around the two of them, cocooning them in warmth while Duke piloted them home.


End file.
